Day Trips to the Douro Valley from Porto

Porto is a city with many interesting destinations to discover and the Douro Valley is one of them. It is a wine region with a history of more than two thousand years and an incredible natural landscape, which you can discover.

Therefore, among the best things to do in Porto you should incorporate a day trip or more to the Douro Valley. You will be able to visit the main vineyards, wineries and participate in wine tasting. You will also have the opportunity to do some complementary activities (boat trip, historical train and jeep).

During your visit to Porto you should dedicate one day of your itinerary to visit the Douro Valley and take a wine tour. You will be able to taste wine, enjoy some traditional food and, if you wish, get on a boat for a cruise.

This activity starts at the door of your hotel. There, you will board a minibus with a specialised guide and a small group (maximum 8 people). You will then depart for the village of Pinhão, where you will have time to explore at your own pace and have lunch at a local restaurant.

You will then board a boat and start a leisurely cruise along the Tua River, passing by the Quinta da Romaneira winery, before returning to the village to visit a couple of the wine estates on the tour. You will also have the opportunity to taste some award-winning wines.

Finally, you will visit a couple of wine est ates on the tour and have the opportunity to taste some award-winning wines.

Interesting details

• Price: from 115€ per person.
• Duration: 10 hours (approx.)
• Means of transport: bus.
• Advantages of this option: as the tour is aimed at small groups, you will enjoy more personalised attention.
• Disadvantages of this option: lunch and additional meals are not included in the cost of the excursion.

This is an excursion of approximately nine hours from the city of Porto, where you will discover some of the picturesque landscapes of the Douro Valley. You will also visit a couple of wine estates in the region, learn about the wine culture and take a boat trip on the Douro River.

You will travel by car to Douro Valley and stop at a few locations:

• Peso de Régua, you can explore a bit of this region and enjoy the scenery.
• Quinta de Marrocos wine cellar, for a visit and wine tasting.
• The River Restaurant, where you will have two hours to have lunch and relax a bit.
• Quinta de São Luís Winery, for a guided tour and, as in the previous winery, you will be able to taste red, white and port wines.

To continue, you will board a rabelo (a boat used in the past to transport wine to the city), to sail on the Douro River for an hour. Afterwards, you will have free time in the village of Pinhao and later return to Porto.

Details of interest

• Price: from 92€ per person.
• Duration: 9 hours (approx.)
• Means of transport: minibus.
• Advantages of this option: the tour includes entrance to the wineries.
• Disadvantages of this option: the minimum age for this type of activity is 18.

This tour will not only allow you to learn about the history of the Douro and wine production. You will also learn about other local products such as olive oil, taste traditional food and cruise along the river of this emblematic place, while contemplating the so-called cultural landscape of the region.

You will travel from Porto to the Douro Valley, where during the day you will visit Quinta do Tedo and Quinta do Beijo. In both estates you will have a guided tour of the vineyards, learn about wine culture: winemaking, body and taste.

The itinerary of this tour usually incorporates a stop in the village of Pinhão, to have lunch in a local restaurant and taste traditional recipes (carnivorous or vegan). You will also have the opportunity to visit the train station, whose history dates back to the 18th century. You will also board a rabelo (traditional boat) and for an hour you will sail the calm waters of the Douro River.

Interesting details

• Price: from 130€ per person.
• Duration: 9 hours (approx.)
• Means of transport: bus.
• Advantages of this option: lunch, tastings and entrance to the wineries are included.
• Disadvantages of this option: the tour does not include a guide, so you will have to explore at your own pace or with the help of an audio guide.

During your visit to Porto in 2 days you can escape from the city and visit the Pinhão village in the Douro Valley. There, you will take a tour of a wine cellar, taste some exquisite wine and sample the local gastronomy. You will also have the opportunity to go on a boat trip.

The adventure starts and ends at the door of your hotel in Porto. You will board a bus with a specialised guide and travel to the Douro Valley, the first stop being in the town of Pinhão, a small wine village with a beautiful natural landscape, restaurants, bars, pastry shops and other destinations to discover.

The itinerary of this activity usually incorporates:

• A visit to one of the region's wineries. For example, Quinta da Foz or Quinta do Bomfim, among others. It all depends on the tour you connect with.
• Traditional lunch (carnivorous or vegan), accompanied by a glass of wine or a craft beer.
• Boat trip on the Douro River, while you contemplate the valley and return to the city of Porto.

Details of interest

• Price: from 95€ per person.
• Duration: 9 hours (approx.)
• Means of transport: bus.
• Advantages of this option: the activity includes pick-up and drop-off at the hotel door.
• Disadvantages of this option: this type of excursion is not suitable for wheelchair users.

Among the 10 things to do in Porto in summer, you can incorporate one of the Porto river cruises to discover Régua and the Dou ro Valley. You will be amazed by the picturesque natural landscape, formed by crystal clear waters, vineyards, mountains and riverside houses.

You will depart by boat from Porto to Régua, where you will make a stop to explore at your own pace this wine region, considered one of the oldest in the world. Afterwards, you will have lunch on the boat and continue sailing towards the Douro Valley, while contemplating the terraced vineyards.

You will pass the imposing Carrapatelo Dam and the Crestuma-Lever Dam, originally built to connect the Crestuma parish of Vila Nova de Gaia with the city. You will then continue along the Douro until you reach Oporto.

Interesting details

• Price: from 63€ per person.
• Duration: 10 hours (approx.)
• Means of transport: boat.
• Advantages of this option: you can explore the region at your own pace.
• Disadvantages of this option: this type of activity does not usually include a guide.

Experience a different adventure during your trip and take a two-day cruise to Régua village and Barca D'Al in the Douro Valley. You will visit a couple of wine villages, enjoy the beautiful scenery and see several monuments. Certainly a good option if you don't know what to do in Porto in October, as the autumn weather is quite suitable for these experiences.

Day 1

You will board a boat at one of the docks in the city of Porto and cruise along the calm waters of the Douro, while listening to the audio guide. You'll pass the Cresuma Lever Dam and the Carrapatelo Dam, continuing upstream to enjoy the colourful scenery. Afterwards, you will have lunch on the boat and continue sailing to Régua, where you will visit an estate and taste some wines, and then go to the hotel where you will spend the night.

Day 2

For the second day of the tour, you will have breakfast on the boat and set off for the village of Barca D'Alva, located on the border of the Douro. During this tour, you will continue to be dazzled by the natural scenery that surrounds you, in addition to the imposing Bagaúste, Valeira and Pocinho dams. You will have lunch at midday and enjoy a snack before disembarking. You can explore the village, take photos and buy souvenirs. Afterwards, you will board a train to return to Porto.

Details of interest

• Price: from 220€ per person.
• Duration: 2 days.
• Means of transport: boat and train.
• Advantages of this option: during the excursion you will have the opportunity to discover various destinations and privileged landscapes, both by sea and by land.
• Disadvantages of this option: it is likely that this type of excursion does not include dinner, so you will have to pay for it yourself.

To make the most of your visit to Porto in 4 days or more, you should incorporate into your itinerary one of the day tours and excursions from the city, which combine a bus tour and historic train. You will be able to see some of the villages of the Douro Valley.

These types of activities can be accompanied by a local guide or audio guide in several languages. It all depends on your choice when connecting with the tour. In either case, you will depart early in the morning in a bus with a small group from the city and arrive at a farm in the Douro Valley. There, you will learn about the history of the place, have lunch and drink a Port wine.

Afterwards, you will go to the historic train station of Régua. This is an early 20th century steam engine, which will take you through the Douro valley until you reach the village of Tua. There, you will have free time to discover the place at your own pace, and finally you will return to Porto by bus after 21:00.

Details of interest

• Price: from 150€ per person.
• Duration: one day.
• Means of transport: bus and historic steam train.
• Advantages of this option: the tour usually offers pick-up and drop-off at the door of the hotel in Porto city centre.
• Disadvantages of this option: it is likely that the tour does not include any food or drink, so you should make provisions.

Quinta do Portal and Quinta da Roêda are a pair of estates with a long tradition in the Tras-os-montes region of Douro village, which you can discover by connecting with a guided day trip from Porto.

You will leave Porto in a minibus with the guide and a small group of tourists, to complete the scheduled itinerary, which usually includes:

• Amarante, where you will have approximately 30 minutes to explore the place. You will be dazzled by the architectural beauty of the church of San Gonzalo.
• Quinta do Portal, where you will visit a family winery with a long history of Port, Moscatel and Douro wine production.
• Lunch and ride in a rabelo, in Pinhao.
• Quinta da Roeda of Croft Winery. There, you will have a tasting of vintage, tawny and white Port wine.

Afterwards, you will return to the city to continue your 3-day Porto itinerary. You can join one of the gastronomic tours of the city' s restaurants and bars or attend the traditional Fado shows.

Details of interest

• Price: from 95€ per person.
• Duration: more than 10 hours.
• Means of transport: minibus.
• Advantages of this option: during this experience through the Douro Valley you will enjoy an emblematic natural landscape and get to know two important estates in the region.
• Disadvantages of this option: the tour is not suitable for wheelchair users.

During your visit to Porto you can escape the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy the best viewpoints in the Douro Valley. Join a guided minibus tour from the city and see different perspectives of this iconic wine valley.

Some of the viewpoints you can visit include:

• St. Leonardo de Galafura viewpoint, from where you will see a colourful landscape of vineyards and olive trees which, despite Porto's characteristic cold weather in winter, will offer you a wonderful contrast of colours.
• San Antonio viewpoint in Peso de Régua.
• San Salvador do Mundo viewpoint and Casal de Loivos viewpoint, which are approximately 50 minutes away from the village of Pinhão. There, you will contemplate the wineries at the top of the valley and the houses of the locals on the banks of the Douro.

Finally, the guide will take you to the Romanesque monastery of São Pedro de Cête and tell you the history of this ancient monument, built in the 9th century. You will spend some free time in this region and return to the city of Porto.

Details of interest

• Price: from 70€ per person.
• Duration: 8 hours (approx.)
• Means of transport: minibus.
• Advantages of this option: you will have the opportunity to contemplate a different perspective of the Douro Valley from its main viewpoints.
• Disadvantages of this option: the activity does not include meals or drinks.

The Douro Valley tour from Porto offers you privileged scenery all the way there and back, whether you travel by car, train or boat. In addition, you will enjoy the warmth of the people, the beautiful vineyards and historic wine cellars where the wine ages.

You will get unspoilt landscapes such as the Tua Lake, in the surroundings of which there are some hiking trails. You will be able to contemplate the Douro river and some boats, in which wine barrels used to be transported to the city of Oporto. You will also find restaurants with traditional food, museums and some monuments.

Guided tours or excursions to the Douro Valley allow you to save time, as you will be accompanied by a local person, who will take you directly to each of the destinations on the itinerary. Therefore, it is a more advantageous option compared to visiting on your own.

Moreover, thanks to the help of the guide or the audio guide (depending on the tour you connect with), you can learn about the history of the Douro Valley, its vineyards, wineries, monuments and much more.